Woman charged in shooting of brother during dispute over gun

Joeann Smith, 52, a South Side woman charged in the shooting death of a relative. (Police photo)

A South Side woman has been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm after her brother was shot in the eye Wednesday while the pair were arguing over whether her handgun would fire.

Joeann Smith, 52, of the 1700 block of East 72nd Street, was charged with a felony count of reckless discharge of a weapon in connection with the shooting about 7 p.m. Wednesday at her home in the city's South Shore neighborhood, police said this morning.

She was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail in Cook County Bond Court today.

Police said Joeann Smith shot Willie Smith, 56, in the eye during an argument. Willie Smith, of the 500 block of North Desplaines Street, was taken in critical condition Wednesday night to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and was later pronounced brain dead at 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He is expected to die, according to prosecutors.

Joeann Smith told officers at the scene that she and her brother had been drinking Seagrams Gin and King Cobra beer, and while they were drinking, they began playing with her Rosco .22-caliber revolver, according to a police report. The gun was loaded, and they at first were going to fire the gun into the air from the back porch, but Willie Smith told her that it would not fire because the bullets were old.

In the living room, Joeann Smith gave the gun to her brother, and he gave it back to her. She then pulled the trigger, hitting her brother in the right eye, according to the police report. Willie Smith then fell to the floor, and Joeann Smith called 911.

When officers arrived, they found Willie Smith facedown on the floor, breathing slowly, according to a polcie report.

Joeann Smith at first told officers that they had been playing with a gun and it had gone off. Officers asked her where the gun was, and she at first told them it was in the bedroom, but when officers couldn’t find it there, she admitted it was in the living room. It was found hidden under a couch cushion.

Joeann Smith was then arrested.

Willie Smith was brain dead, but was still on life support Saturday, according to officials.